The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday announced that it has issued possession notices for immovable assets worth ?661 crore, attached in connection with its ongoing money laundering probe against Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the publisher of the National Herald newspaper.

The ED, in an official statement, said that notices directing the vacation of the premises were affixed on Friday at three key locations: the iconic Herald House at ITO in New Delhi, AJL’s property in Bandra, Mumbai, and its building on Bisheshwar Nath Road in Lucknow.

The central agency took the action under Section 8 and Rule 5(1) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. These properties were provisionally attached by the ED in November 2023, marking a significant development in the politically sensitive investigation.

The money laundering case pertains to transactions involving AJL and Young Indian Private Limited (YI), which owns AJL. The ED alleges that assets worth hundreds of crores were acquired through financial irregularities linked to the now-defunct National Herald newspaper.

Young Indian is controlled by top Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, each holding a 38% stake in the company. The ED’s probe revolves around the alleged acquisition of AJL's properties by YI for a fraction of their market value, using funds that the agency claims were misappropriated.

With these possession notices, the ED has moved a step closer toward taking control of the properties, even as the matter remains under legal scrutiny. The action could have wider political ramifications, especially given the involvement of senior Congress leadership.

The Congress party has previously dismissed the case as “political vendetta,” while the ED maintains it is following due legal process.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday announced that it has issued possession notices for immovable assets worth ?661 crore, attached in connection with its ongoing money laundering probe against Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the publisher of the National Herald newspaper.

The ED, in an official statement, said that notices directing the vacation of the premises were affixed on Friday at three key locations: the iconic Herald House at ITO in New Delhi, AJL’s property in Bandra, Mumbai, and its building on Bisheshwar Nath Road in Lucknow.

The central agency took the action under Section 8 and Rule 5(1) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. These properties were provisionally attached by the ED in November 2023, marking a significant development in the politically sensitive investigation.

The money laundering case pertains to transactions involving AJL and Young Indian Private Limited (YI), which owns AJL. The ED alleges that assets worth hundreds of crores were acquired through financial irregularities linked to the now-defunct National Herald newspaper.

Young Indian is controlled by top Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, each holding a 38% stake in the company. The ED’s probe revolves around the alleged acquisition of AJL's properties by YI for a fraction of their market value, using funds that the agency claims were misappropriated.

With these possession notices, the ED has moved a step closer toward taking control of the properties, even as the matter remains under legal scrutiny. The action could have wider political ramifications, especially given the involvement of senior Congress leadership.

The Congress party has previously dismissed the case as “political vendetta,” while the ED maintains it is following due legal process.